838 



JOURNAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Brisbane — a river then recently discovered, falling into the bay — that 

 it was a very distinct species, not simply in its habit of growth, which 

 is very remarkable, but in the character of its leaves. On its being 

 received into the Royal Gardens at Kew afterwards, it received the 

 above name, which it appears has been since generally adopted by all 

 who can boast of a living plant in their collections. On the coast of 

 New South Wales it has a range of nine hundred miles, between the 

 parallels of 14° and 29 j°, but in no part, whether on the islands in the 

 offing, on many of which it is the only timber, or on the main shore, 

 has it been remarked of large size — rather appearing of a stunted 

 irregular growth, and frequently broken down by the force of the pre- 

 valent winds. On the alluvial brushy banks, however, of the Brisbane 

 Biver, between lat. 27° and 30'', where it is perfectly sheltered from 

 every blast, it rises to the height of from 100 to 130 feet, with a girth of 

 from 14 to 16 feet, or even more ; and such specimens are frequently to 

 be met with, having a clear, smooth, cylindrical barrel, 80 feet in height 

 from the ground to the lowest branches. In my several geographical 

 excursions in the highly interesting country lying to the westward of 

 Moreton Bay, I met with this Pine at some distance from the banks of 

 the Brisbane River, as also on the hills on the western side of the 

 dividing range, in latitude 28°, at a distance from the coast of about 

 eighty miles ; beyond which, however, in any inland or western 

 direction, it certainly does not exist. Its maximum, therefore, is evi- 

 dently on the immediate coast, within the influence of the sea air, 

 which, however, is not so essential to its existence as it appears to 

 be for some of the plants I had discovered during Captain King's 

 voyage, particularly some splendid species of Grevillea, which, in con- 

 sequence, were found exceedingly difficult to cultivate at Kew, where 

 they ultimately died, and were lost to Europe. This Pine bears young 

 cones in the month of September. Its wood is a pale yellowish deal, 

 and is commonly used in house carpentry, for making common fur- 

 niture, and in boat-building at Brisbane Town. In the green state 

 its spars have been formed into masts for vessels of two hundred tons, 

 which are said to stand as long as the sap continues in them, but 

 after becoming dry they are not to be depended on." 



A. excelsa, R. Br. in Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2, v. 412 ; Lamb. 

 Pinet. ed. 2, 81, t. 41 ; Forb. Pinet. Wob. 153, t. 50, 51 : Loud. 

 Arbor, iv. 2440, f. 2297-2302 ; Ant. Conif. 99, t. 38-42 ; Endl. Syn. 

 Conif. 187 ; Knight, Syn. Conif. 44 ; Lindl. and Gord. Journ. Hort. 

 Soc. V. 220; Carr. Man. des PI. iv. 362, and Tr. Gen. Conif. 

 420 ; Gord. Pinet. 29 ; Henk. and Hochst. Syn. der Nadelh. 11 ; 

 J, E. Nelson, Pinac. 93. Domheya excelsa, Lamb. Pinet. ed. 1, i, 87, 

 t. 39, 40. Eutassa heterophylla , Salisb. in Linn. Trans, viii. 316 ; 

 Spach, Hist. Veg. Phan. xi. 362. Altingia excelsa, Loud. Hort. Brit. 

 400. Golymhea excelsa, Spreng. Syst. Cur. post. 315. Eutacta excelsa, 

 Link in Linnoea, xv. 544. 



